it was saturday, and tea was just over. aunt miriam would often delight the family with a story or song for the half hour of gloaming1. so they waited for her. but this saturday was to be a little different from all the others.
she looked at her nieces and nephews with that smile of hers which made them all love her, and then slowly asked, "what is the best day in the year?""what is the best day in the year?" echoed charlie. "well,i never thought of that before !""i want you all to think well, and make a choice," aunt miriam continued. "i have chosen that which i think is the best, and have written it down in this sealed2 letter. when you have all made a choice, i will open the letter and give a prize of ￡1 to any one who has chosen rightly."for a moment they were all dumb with delight, their minds busily thinking both of her novel3 question and of the handsome prize.
"supposing lily has the first pick!" said aunt. "she is the1gloaming: twilight.
2sealed: fastened down. 3 novel: new; strange.
youngest, and then the others can choose afterwards according to age."lily thought a little while. suddenly she clapped her hands, and the answer came, quick and decisive, from her merry tongue. "the best day is-my birthday !" she said, with laughing face.
"because?" asked aunt miriam.
"because i get so many presents and-and it"s such a happy day !" "i meant to say that too," broke in tom.
"lil"s right, isn"t she, auntie?"
but aunt shook her head. "you try, alice," she said, to the next youngest.
"i think," said alice, with a slow, sweet voice, "that christmas day is the best day, because we see all our friends then, and uncle harry comes home, and we all get cards and christmas boxes, and everyone is happy all day long. you remember telling us about christmas once-don"t you, auntie?-and how they kept it up in england, with snow and mistletoe and waifs-""waits, you mean," said aunt miriam; "the carol-singers, whose clear voices ever recall the song of the angels of old. but dear as christmas day is, it is not the best after all. what is your choice, charlie?""mine"s new year"s day," was the reply, "because then we all go for a picnic and have games, and boys" races, and a cricket match, and-and-everything else," he concluded with a wave of the hand that was quite meant to include paradise.
"there"s a better choice still," said aunt miriam. "can you guess it, harry? ""i think empire day1 is the best," said harry, "because all the schools have their treats then. either empire day i should choose or breaking-up day, when the scholars get all their prizes." "i"m afraid neither is the best day of the year," said aunt,thoughtfully. "what do you say, mary? "mary was silent a few moments. "i hardly know which to choose now, auntie; i thought it would be sure to be one of those days-a birthday, or christmas day, or new year"s day, or empire day, or-can it be easter day, auntie? or perhaps the king"s birthday? there are really no other days i can think of. tell us, auntie;" she begged.
"wait a bit," interposed2 tom. "i don"t like to see that prizego past without having a good try for it. is it leap year"s day?" auntie shook her head slowly.
"or foundation day3?" went on tom.
another shake. "or good friday?" "no."
"or boxing day4? "
another negative.
"well then," said harry, unwillingly, "i suppose we"ll have to give it up! what is it, auntie?"1empire day: hitherto celebrated on may 24th, the birthday of victoria the good.
2interposed: broke in; interjected.
3foundation day: january 26th, the day when, in 1788, governor phillip took possession of australia in the name of king george Ⅲ. of england.
4boxing day: the day after christmas day, when christmas gifts or "boxes" are supposed to arrive.
they all drew closer to aunt miriam"s chair. lily climbed on auntie"s knee and threw one arm round her neck, and put her face near to aunt miriam"s so as to hear the secret first.
"the best day in the year," said aunt miriam, "is-but i will open the envelope for you."she opened it, and there in her own beautiful writing were thewords:-"the best day in the year is to-day ! "
"to-day?" they asked in surprise. "how is that?""yesterday is past," came the reply, "and is no longer ours, to make or to mar. to-morrow has yet to come, and none of us know whether we shall possess it. to-day alone is in our hands, to do with as we will."they were beginning to see auntie"s meaning. "so every day is the best," said tom thoughtfully.
"that is so," rejoined auntie miriam; "you can make every new day the best day you ever had, if you only will to do it.""well, if every day is the best, we all guessed right after all !" said harry slyly.
"i don"t know about that," was the laughing reply, "but you have all tried well, and i have here "-aunt turned to a big parcel that had been hidden under a tablecloth in the corner- "six presents, one for each of you, and i hope you will never forget all your life which is the best day of the year."-e. w. h. f.